…born into a family of musicians, Daniel Szabo started playing the piano at the age of four. He received an all-compassing training in arts at the Ferenc Martyn School of Free Arts in the town of Pécs. Following his graduation from the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Pécs, he received his BA-degree from the Jazz faculty of the Franz Liszt Academy of Music, Budapest, in 2000.

…he began giving concerts early enough: he frequently performed all across Europe as a child in various bands as well as a soloist. Classical music, jazz and contemporary improvisation were all part of his repertoire.

…then came a long list of competition victories. He won the International Jazz Piano Competition held in Lithuania in 1997. He was joint winner at the Gábor Füsti Balogh Talent Contest for Jazz Pianists organized by the Hungarian Broadcasting Network in 1998, and this achievement led to his first trio album published by Warner Music Hungary. In 2000, he came first at the Jas Hennessy Solo Piano Competition that was part of the Montreux Jazz Festival. Afterwards he was invited to give solo concerts both at the Montreux Jazz Festival and the conference of the International Association of Jazz Educators in New York.

…in 2001 he was granted admittance and full scholarship to the Henry Mancini Institute in Los Angeles, where he performed together with names like Randy Brecker, Christian McBride, Roy Hargrove, Vince Mendoza, Dave Carpenter and Peter Erskine. He got the Fulbright scholarship in 2003 and began his postgradual studies at the New England Conservatory (NEC) in Boston, where he got his master’s degree from in 2005. During these productive years in Boston he had two outstanding professors: Bob Brookmeyer in composition and arrangement, and Danilo Perez in jazz piano. Other renowned professors of his were Jerry Bergonzi, Steve Lacy, George Garzone, Michael Cain, Allan Chase and Ken Schaphorst. In concerts organized by NEC Daniel Szabo performed with Maria Schneider, Joe Lovano, George Russell, Harvey Mason, Herb Pomeroy, George Garzone and Tim Hagans, thus becoming an active member of Boston’s multicolored musical life.

…Daniel Szabo won the “4th International Martial Solal Jazz Piano Competition” in Paris in 2006.

The Daniel Szabo Trio plays originals and standard-arrangements written by its leader whose pieces have a peculiar taste and character influenced by the colorful and complex musical heritage of Middle-Eastern-Europe.

The band has been regularly performing at international festivals, concert halls or clubs and often collaborates with renowned international jazz artists: they have joined forces with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Chris Potter, John Ellis, Rosario Giuliani and Flavio Boltro in the past 2 years.

"Frictions" - the album featuring Kurt Rosenwinkel, whose band Szabo toured with in 2005, has been released under the label of Warner Jazz in 2007. The friendship and some splendid gigs with Chris Potter have resulted in a new album. "Contribution-Daniel Szabo Trio meets Chris Potter" is coming out in January 2010 by BMC Records!